Detecting Engine Room Fuel and Oil Mist

May 02, 2018

The Daspos LAS-10 system has been installed on over 100 cruise ships from 10 different brands. The system is simple: a network of detectors are strategically placed in the engine room and other machinery areas, sniffing the air for oil and fuel. It’s a leakage alarm system that can put a stop to a major threat: fire.

“Flexible fuel hoses are very sensitive to pinholes and cracks,” said Wiel Penders, executive vice president of sales and operations, Daspos USA. “Then you get a tiny fuel spray, and that becomes very flammable.”

Daspos alerts crewmembers as its detectors are placed in key areas in engine rooms through the company’s state-of-the-art method of mapping air drafts.

The company will come in with a smoke machine and follow the trail, taking into account engines under heavy or light load, opened and closed doors, and other factors.

“We install the detectors in line with the air draft,” said Penders. “The minute you get spray or a leaking gasket, we pick it up and send that signal back to the engine control room on a display.”

When the detectors sense fuel or oil a display starts making noise, giving engineers time to address problems before they deteriorate.

Detectors number between 19 and 24 on a modern cruise ship, according to Penders, who spent eight years at sea with Holland America before a 17-year shoreside career with the Seattle-based company and also Carnival Corporation, helping oversee fire prevention.

Installations of the equipment are usually done underway, with Daspos reviewing data soon after to make tweaks.

For newbuilds, the yard installs the detectors. With the ship in service, Daspos boards vessels to make any final adjustments.

From there on out, the detectors require a simple cleaning on a two-week interval. The company has maintenance programs at three- and six-year intervals, but otherwise the systems run 24/7.